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ANNOUNCER: YOU ARE WATCHING WCVB NEWSCENTER 5 AT 5:30. JESSICA: FEDERAL HEALTH OFFICIALS ARE LOWERING THE ALERT LEVEL FOR THE VIRUS M-POX, WHICH HAS BEEN A PUBLIC HEALTH EMERGENCY IN THE U.S. SINCE LAST SUMMER. HERE TO EXPLAIN IS DR. BRIAN CHOW, AN INFECTIOUS DISEASE SPECIALIST AT TUFTS MEDICAL CENTER. ED: AS YOU KNOW, M-POX IS NOW THE NEW NAME FOR MONKEYPOX. AND UNTIL THE FIRST AMERICAN CASE WAS IDENTIFIED RIGHT HERE IN MASSACHUSETTS LAST MAY, MOST PEOPLE, INCLUDING A FEW DOCTORS, HAD NOT HEARD OF IT. WHAT ELSE MADE THIS OUTBREAK CHALLENGING? >> THIS EPIDEMIC PRESENTED VERY DIFFERENTLY THAN THE TEXTBOOKS WOULD HAVE. WE HAD TO MAKE SURE PATIENTS AND CLINICIANS RECOGNIZE THE DISEASE AND NEW HAD TO ACCESS TREATMENT AND VACCINES. VACCINE AND TREATMENTS WERE NOT WELL STUDIED FOR MPOX WHICH ADDED A PLAYER OF COMPLEXITY AND WE HAD TO MAKE SURE MESSAGES REACHED THE COMMUNITIES WHICH WERE DISPROPORTIONATELY AFFECTED. JESSICA: WE WANT TO LOOK AT THE LATEST CDC DATA. THE U.S. HAS IDENTIFIED MORE THAN 30,000 INFECTIONS IN THE U.S., AND 26 DEATHS, SINCE THE START. HOWEVER, THOSE CASE NUMBERS HAVE BEEN DROPPING STEADILY SINCE MID AUGUST. WHAT DO YOU THINK WAS THE TURNING POINT? >> VACCINATIONS AND PUBLIC HEALTH MESSAGES ARE CRITICAL AS WELL AS GETTING PEOPLE DIAGNOSED AND TREATED. WE ARE ABLE TO DO THIS BY SPREADING THE WORD THROUGH SOME ALREADY VERY STRONG SOCIAL NETWORKS. STUDIES HAVE SHOWN PEOPLE CHANGE THEIR BEHAVIOR DURING THIS OUTBREAK TO HELP CONTROL THE OUTBREAK FOR THE TIME IT TOOK TO GET THIS UNDER CONTROL. ED: THERE IS A VACCINE AVAILABLE BUT NOW THAT THE INFECTION RISK IS LOW AND STANDARDS ARE BEING PULLED OUT, IS THERE ANY REASON LEFT TO GET T? >> PEOPLE WHO HAVE RECEIVED THE FIRST DOSE SHOULD COMPLETE THE TWO DOSE SERIES. PEOPLE WHO ARE AT HIGHER RISK SHOULD CONSIDER BEING VACCINATED BECAUSE WE DON’T KNOW WHETHER THIS WILL SURGE AGAIN IN THE NEAR FUTURE. ED: THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. JESSICA: IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS YOU WOULD LIKE OUR EXPER

Almost 90% of US mpox-related deaths were in Black men, CDC reports

Almost 90% of mpox-related deaths in the United States were among Black men, and nearly all had weakened immune systems, according to a new report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.From May 2022 to March 2023, 30,235 people in the U.S. were diagnosed with mpox, previously known as monkeypox. Thirty-eight deaths were linked to mpox; 36 of them were men, and 33 were Black men. The average age of those who died was 34.Mpox spreads through close contact, and it can infect anyone. During the 2022 outbreak, infections were mostly among gay or bisexual men or other men who have sex with men.Most people hospitalized for severe cases of mpox were Black men with uncontrolled HIV that may have caused a weakened immune system, according to the report, which was published Thursday.Although most of the people who died got one or more prompt treatments and intensive care, nearly a quarter had delays of three to seven weeks from diagnosis to treatment, and two got no treatment for mpox.”These findings highlight the importance of integrating prevention, testing, and treatment for multiple sexually associated infections,” the report says. “Equitable access to prevention, treatment, and engagement and retention in care for both mpox and HIV should be prioritized, particularly among Black men and other persons at risk for sexually associated infections.”A separate CDC report published Thursday urged equity-based strategies, such as tailored messages and expanded vaccine services, to increase vaccination among racial and ethnic minorities.Early in last year’s outbreak, vaccination rates were lower among Black and Hispanic men than among white men, but by August, rates among Black and Hispanic men exceeded those among white men. However, the vaccination-to-case ratio was lower among Black and Hispanic men, and vaccination rates were not proportionate to the “elevated incidence rates” among Black men, the report said, leaving vaccination needs unmet.Between May and December 2022, 723,112 people in the U.S. received the first of two doses of the mpox vaccine, and 89.7% of the doses were given to men.”Continued implementation of equity-based vaccination strategies is needed to further increase vaccination rates and reduce the incidence of mpox among all racial and ethnic groups,” the report says.More than 30,000 people have been diagnosed with mpox in the United States as of Wednesday, and 42 people have died, according to the CDC.

From May 2022 to March 2023, 30,235 people in the U.S. were diagnosed with mpox, previously known as monkeypox. Thirty-eight deaths were linked to mpox; 36 of them were men, and 33 were Black men. The average age of those who died was 34.

Mpox spreads through close contact, and it can infect anyone. During the 2022 outbreak, infections were mostly among gay or bisexual men or other men who have sex with men.

Most people hospitalized for severe cases of mpox were Black men with uncontrolled HIV that may have caused a weakened immune system, according to the report, which was published Thursday.

Although most of the people who died got one or more prompt treatments and intensive care, nearly a quarter had delays of three to seven weeks from diagnosis to treatment, and two got no treatment for mpox.

“These findings highlight the importance of integrating prevention, testing, and treatment for multiple sexually associated infections,” the report says. “Equitable access to prevention, treatment, and engagement and retention in care for both mpox and HIV should be prioritized, particularly among Black men and other persons at risk for sexually associated infections.”

A separate CDC report published Thursday urged equity-based strategies, such as tailored messages and expanded vaccine services, to increase vaccination among racial and ethnic minorities.

Early in last year’s outbreak, vaccination rates were lower among Black and Hispanic men than among white men, but by August, rates among Black and Hispanic men exceeded those among white men. However, the vaccination-to-case ratio was lower among Black and Hispanic men, and vaccination rates were not proportionate to the “elevated incidence rates” among Black men, the report said, leaving vaccination needs unmet.

Between May and December 2022, 723,112 people in the U.S. received the first of two doses of the mpox vaccine, and 89.7% of the doses were given to men.

“Continued implementation of equity-based vaccination strategies is needed to further increase vaccination rates and reduce the incidence of mpox among all racial and ethnic groups,” the report says.

More than 30,000 people have been diagnosed with mpox in the United States as of Wednesday, and 42 people have died, according to the CDC.